A Thin Line Between Love and Hate: Rewritten
by YouSpeakToMySoul
Summary: Bitterness imprisons life; love releases it. Bitterness paralyzes life; love empowers it. Bitterness sours life; love sweetens it. Bitterness sickens life; love heals it. Bitterness blinds life; love anoints its eyes. 7th Year, Post War.Dramione!Veela.
1. Devil's Tears

A Thin Line Between Love and Hate: Rewritten  
>Chapter one<p>

So here it is, finally. The rewritten version of a thin line between love and hate, thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, story-alerted and favourited the earlier version and a huge thanks to my beta, The-Dragons-Secret for making it so much better than it was to begin with (: Hope you enjoy –xx

...xxx...

He woke again, beads of sweat already forming at his temples. The nightmares had been going on for weeks now.

This time, he was running towards an unknown voice screaming for help; he ran down a seemingly endless corridor but when he reached her, he could only see her eyes, those pleading chocolate eyes begging him to make the pain stop.

They were etched in agony as he tried to reach out and protect her but all he heard was a scream as the flash of light hit the girl. Anger reigned over all his other emotions as his arms turned to thick black feathered wings but he barely had a chance to look at himself when his eyes flew open in shock.

He looked around at his plain room with wooden floors and green curtains and bedspread, when his door was suddenly opened by Narcissa Malfoy, his mother standing in the doorway.

Her blonde waist length hair, so normally straight was tousled and sticking out at all angles, probably from tossing and turning in her sleep. Dark heavy circles lined her worried eyes, showing the lack of sleep she too had had since the nightmares started. Her silk nightgown was creased as proof of the amount of sleep she actually got.

"Wow, Mother, you look as if you've had less sleep than me." He smirked at her.

He preferred smirking to actually showing his mother his concern and asking why she looked such a mess.

It was just easier to put on a mask and block his emotions because as far as he was concerned, emotions were a sign of weakness; the Malfoy's were definitely not weak. Well, maybe his father was but since his arrest, Draco no longer counted him as a member of the family.

"Well, darling, I would have got more sleep if I hadn't been in here half the night as you screamed your head off." She said and the smirk had slid right of his face. She could see the confusion written on his face as he began to comprehend her words.

"Wait, I was screaming?" he asked disbelieving.

"Yes and quite loudly at that." She responded. "Oh come on darling you didn't think you were immune from expressing you feelings did you?"

Draco looked away as he found the pattern of his ceiling very interesting. She noticed this and stared mumbling to herself

'I shouldn't be so worried…. I knew these where coming ….but with Lucius in Azkaban….'

Draco could only catch parts of what she was saying as his eyes began to feel heavy, alerting him to his body's need for sleep.

"Mother," said Draco sleepily, "it's far too early in the morning to even comprehend you so come back at a more appropriate time in the morning."

"Fine," said Narcissa haughtily, clearly offended, "but could you please try to not scream, some of us do need sleep you know."

And with that she walked out of the room.

...xxx...

It was 3 in the morning and Ms. Hermione Granger was fully aware of the fact. Well, she knew it was early, just not exactly what time it is.

She couldn't sleep; it was 3 days until she got to go back to Hogwarts.

She was so bored, stuck at home. Living in Muggle London hade its advantages, but the terrible weather was not one of them. Freak flooding and the freezing temperature was something she could easily live without.

She could cast a spell and make the floods stop coming near her house but that would look a bit suspicious, water going everywhere apart from her house.

The floods meant no shops in the surrounding area were open, not even the book shop on the bottom of her road was open. Therefore she could not walk to her refuge to get a good book.

It was funny to look out the window and see cars driving in about 3 inches of water. She gave a sigh and lay on her bed staring at her bookcase. She had already read all the books about 3 times, not to mention watched their accompanying DVDs at least twice.

Ah, the consequences of boredom!

She could write to Harry or Ron for a while, but she just didn't know what to put in a letter. Wasn't it ironic that she couldn't even owl her two best friends because she didn't know what to tell them?

It wasn't exactly easy talking about last year and she was surprised Harry even agreed to repeat his final year. She wondered how hard it would be to walk back into the Great Hall without seeing the devastation and sit where hundreds had lay dying.

Her parents had even given here the choice of missing the last year and she had even considered it but having to spend an entire year without her friends and not being there for them seemed unreasonable and she had to go for the learning purposes of course. With tears in her eyes, she went to have a refreshing shower before her parents got up.

...xxx...

He was scared of what his mother had said. Draco racked his brains trying to find some truth in his mother's words. He was scared to go back to sleep and confused by his mother's words, he decided to get something to eat or find his mother, whatever came first.

He found his mother in the kitchen drinking what smelled like coffee and was quite pissed off that he didn't sleep because of her and she ended up not sleeping either.

"What are you doing up?" He asked accusingly.

"What are you doing up?" She asked laughing.

The anger he had felt peaked, as he watched her laughing.

"Well I stayed awake so you wouldn't have to." He said glaring at her.

"Well, you're more cheery this morning."She said sarcastically. "I'll get you a cup of coffee."

He stared open mouthed at her as she busied herself around a kitchen he knew she hadn't used in years.

"What are you doing?" He asked her, shocked at her actions.

"Making coffee, what does it look like I'm doing?" She asked, nonchalantly.

"Wasting your time." He said. "Why not get one of the house elves to do it?"

He was genuinely puzzled.

"Well, darling, do you think I'm so incapable of cooking that I can't even pour coffee into a mug?' she asked, a smile growing on her lips.

"Of course not, Mother. I just can't help but wonder why you bother." He said coolly, sitting down on one of the kitchen bar stools.

"You know, Draco, you don't have to treat them as slaves like your Father did. They're scared of you. You can change that or not but they are people with feelings."

"Have you been spending time with Hermione Granger?" He asked his mother.

"Who? That witch who beats you in everything?"She said absentmindedly.

"Except Potions." Draco added defensively.

"Come on, darling, you and I both know that's only because Severus is your godfather. He'd never let a Gryffindor beat a Slytherin in his own subject." She said wearily.

"Anyway, moving on from Miss Hermione 'know-it-all' Granger . . .What were you mumbling about earlier?" Draco asked, immediately curious again.

"Well, I don't know exactly how to say this," She sat down, taking his hand in both of hers. His anxiousness spiked. "On your Father's side of the family, some of his earlier ancestors were part Veela. Sometimes it misses generations."

Draco could tell what she was hinting at. She looked at him hesitantly before continuing.

"Do you remember Fleur Delcour from the Tri-Wizard competition? How boys couldn't help but fall for her? She was ½ Veela. Your fathers ancestors were 1/8 Veela."She was talking so quietly he had to strain my ears to hear her.

"Well I'm sure this is all very interesting but was has it got to do with me?"He asked eager for her to get to the point and confirm his own thoughts.

"Well, what it all turns to is that you're now about½ Veela" she said pointedly.

"So I get to have girls fall over themselves to be around me . . ."He said, clearly, not realising his Mother strained look.

"It's not as simple as that, Draco." She sighed as if the whole world's troubles were on her shoulders.

"What do you mean?" He asked, puzzled. With a sigh, he noted that he had felt confusion more times in one day than he'd been the entirety of his life.

"You have to find your soul mate and mark her before your 18th birthday or you'll die" She whispered quickly, before flinching.

"Die?"He asked a little too loudly.

"Dying?" He asked again. "Isn't that a bit extreme?"

He was close to shouting by this point.

"But that only leaves 5 months . . How am I supposed to find a soul mate in 5 bloody months?"

His mother was still quiet at this point and he could see silent tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Oh, mum." He said softly, so unlike his usual self. "It's going to be okay; I'll find this person, I promise."He continued as he pulled her into a hug.

As he hugged her to him, he realised that this was the first time he had hugged his mum, since he was 5.

It felt like his family was healing at last.

...xxx...

TBC (: -XX


	2. Falling Down

**A Thin Line Between Love & Hate**  
><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

_...xxx..._

_**Drawn into the backdrop here  
>You could fade, you could fade away<br>Bright lights on a starless night  
>Burn a hole in the dying day<strong>_

Hermione shot up out of bed. Even though it was five in the morning, there she was dancing around her bedroom like a freak. She would have laughed at herself if she wasn't so happy. She was going back to school today and after weeks of planning this moment, she was ready;she was going to make sure this year be alot better than the last. Singing into her hairbrush, she danced around the room, without a care in the world.

"_**Looking at life through a loaded gun  
>Take your best shot, aim it at the sun<br>Looking at life through a loaded gun  
>You know you'll find<br>You'll find yourself, you'll find yourself alone  
>You'll find yourself, you'll find yourself<strong>_

_**Drawn into the darkness here**_  
><em><strong>With your eyes on the prize at stake<strong>_  
><em><strong>Faint hearts on an endless path<strong>_  
><em><strong>Letting go of the ones we break<strong>_

_**Looking at life through a loaded gun**_  
><em><strong>Take your best shot, aim it at the sun<strong>_  
><em><strong>Looking at life through a loaded gun<strong>_  
><em><strong>You know you'll find<strong>_  
><em><strong>You'll find yourself, you'll find yourself alone<strong>_  
><em><strong>You'll find yourself, you'll find yourself<strong>_

_**Drawn into the backdrop here**_  
><em><strong>You could fade, you could fade away<strong>_  
><em><strong>Bright lights on a starless night<strong>_  
><em><strong>Burn a hole in the dying day<strong>_

_**Looking at life through a loaded gun**_  
><em><strong>Take your best shot, aim it at the sun<strong>_  
><em><strong>Looking at life through a loaded gun<strong>_  
><em><strong>You know you'll find<strong>_  
><em><strong>You'll find yourself, you'll find yourself alone<strong>_  
><em><strong>You'll find yourself, you'll find yourself"<strong>_

She loved that song and was about to play replay when there was a quiet knock at her door and her mum entered, looking flustered.

"Sorry mum,I'll turn it down." She said, thinking she knew what her mother was going to say as she realised not everyone was as an early riser as she was.

"Huh..?" Her mother asked absentmindedly.

"Mum are you okay?" Hermione asked, immediately worried.

Her mum sat down on her bed, nervously playing her duvet.

"Hermione,are you sure you want to go through with this? I'm sure everyone would understand and they wouldn't judge you but really have you fully thought this through?" She asked, desperately.

Hermione could tell her mother would miss her dearly but she felt she had to go back.

"It's okay, Mum, I've thought this through. I'll write to you everyday just like in first year"Hermione told her mother gently, realising that she didn't write nearly enough to her parents while she was at Hogwarts.

Hermione wasn't used to being the adult in the family. She had always been the baby of the family but she knew she had to be strong for everyone.

Her mother by now finally regained control of herself.

"Oh,look, we're going to be late, come on now. He wouldn't want you being late for your first day of school."She said, putting on a fake smile.

Hermione put on another song on to clear her head as her mum left but singing more quietly, almost to herself this time while getting changed,

_**"I'm still alive but I'm barely breathing,  
>Just prayed to a God that I don't believe in,<br>Cause I got time while she got freedom,  
>Cause when a heart breaks no it don't break even.<strong>_

_**Her best days will be some of my worst, she finally met a man that's going to put her first,**_  
><em><strong>While I'm wide awake she's no trouble sleeping<strong>_  
><em><strong>Cos when a heart breaks no it don't breakeven... even... No<strong>_

_**What am I supposed to do when the best part of me was always you, And what am I supposed to say when I'm all choked up that you're okay**_  
><em><strong>I'm falling to pieces, yeah, I'm falling to pieces<strong>_

_**They say bad things happen for a reason, But no wise words gonna stop the bleeding**_  
><em><strong>Cos she's moved on while I'm still grieving and when a heart breaks no it don't breakeven even... no<strong>_

_**What am I gonna to do when the best part of me was always you,**_  
><em><strong>And what am I supposed to say when I'm all choked up that you're okay<strong>_  
><em><strong>I'm falling to pieces, yeah,I'm falling to pieces, yeah,<br>I'm falling to pieces(One still in love while the other ones leaving)  
>I'm falling to pieces(Cos when a heart breaks no it don't breakeven)<strong>_

_**Oh you got his heart and my heart and none of the pain**_  
><em><strong>You took your suitcase, I took the blame<strong>_  
><em><strong>I'm try'na make sense of what little remains ooh<br>Cos you left me with no love and no love to my name.**_

_**I'm still alive but I'm barely breathing Just prayin' to a god that I don't believe in**_  
><em><strong>Cos I got time while she got freedom<strong>_  
><em><strong>Cos when a heart breaks no it don't break<strong>_  
><em><strong>No it don't break<strong>_  
><em><strong>No it don't break even, no<strong>_

_**What am I gonna do when the best part of me was always you and  
>What am I suppose to say when I'm all choked up that you're okay<br>(Oh glad your okay now)**_

_**I'm falling to pieces yeah(Oh I'm glad your okay)  
>I'm falling to pieces yeah (One still in love while the other ones leaving)<br>I'm falling to pieces(Cos when a heart breaks no it don't breakeven)**_  
><em><strong>Oh it don't break even no<strong>_

**_Oh it don't break even no  
>Oh it don't breakeven"<em> **She ended softly and as she felt hot, angry tears, she realised playing Ron and her's song wasn't the best idea.

She had got together with Ron during the war but ended it a few weeks later when he was found snogging Astoria Greengrass behind HoneyDukes in Hogsmeade.

He had promised her it was a one off but she still couldn't trust him anymore so she ended it. They still talked for Harry and Ginny's sake. Still the happy couple as always.

"Hermione, your dad has to be in the airport in an hour and we have drop you off before he misses his flight." Her mother's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Okay,I'll be right down." She yelled down as she threw on her skinny jeans and a cute little top with a grey blazer jacket and black gladiators, after checking one last time outside to make sure the rain had stopped.

The ride to the station was quiet. She caught her mother sniffling in the passenger mother seemed to quiet down when her father started rubbing her back and Hermione immediately felt bad for putting them through this.

Her parents left her off silently; they knew by now that they couldn't get through the barrier so now they simply didn't bother.

"Bye."She said weakly."I promise to write every day."

"Okay, be safe." Her mother replied softly and Hermione waved goodbye as they sped away, hurrying so as not to miss her father's business flight.

She slowly crossed the barrier with her luggage and the Dolce & Gabbana handbag she had begged her Aunts in America for last Christmas.

She sighed happily at the memory of opening it on Christmas day and she was just about to board the train when she saw the one and only Draco Malfoy striding towards her.

Wow, he looked hot.

She may hate him but even she knew she would be lying if she said he wasn't very attractive but she found herself unable to look away; there was something different about him. She just couldn't put her finger on it - maybe it was his eyes. Her eyes seemed to be drawn to them and she saw the emotions flowing through them but still she just couldn't bring herself to look away.

Truthfully she wasn't very surprised to see him attending their last year at Hogwarts as since his switching sides in the war and eventually earning everyone's trust by saving Harry's life, she knew he'd be allowed as nearly all of the Slytherins had been allowed back as their parents were in Azkaban and for the majority, Hogwarts was the only home they had ever known.

She realised how long she had been staring at him so she quickly and successfully managed to pull her eyes away from him. As she tried to board the steps quickly she tripped and fell, ungracefully she might add.

Suddenly Draco Malfoy himself appeared in front of her, offering a hand.

"Need any help?" He asked, smirking.

"Thanks." She gruffly replied, while turning to carefully walk up the steps on to the train;the only thing on her mind was the way her hand still tingled from his touch.

"Shit, this year is not starting well." She thought as she hurried to find Harry, Ginny and Ron before the train became really packed.

_...xxx..._


	3. Panic

A Thin Line between Love and Hate  
>Chapter 3<p>

So just a quick warning, this hasn't been beta-ed as I'm not too sure it my beta is still beta-ing but if you notice anything, let me know and I'll get it fixed:)

This is the start of the completely rewritten version and I really hope you enjoy, it's been a while so let me know what you think:) Pretty please? It really means a lot.

**…xxx…**

She took a minute, before entering the compartment, to take a deep breath. If she was being honest, she wasn't crazy about seeing Ron again. Although she couldn't deny, her heart did beat a little faster every time she saw him. Breaking up with him had devastated her but -at the time- being with him after he had done such a thing, was unthinkable. Her pride wouldn't allow it.

She cringed as the old compartment door creaked loudly as it open, breaking the odd quietness surrounding its passengers.

"Hermione!" Ron exclaimed sitting up straighter and she couldn't help the smile that broke across her face.

The exclamation quickly woke the two other sleeping occupants, looking comfortable curled up beside each other and she couldn't resist a laugh before sitting down as the quickly untangled themselves.

"Hermione! We were wondering when Ms Head Girl was going to arrive" Ginny exclaimed.

"Hey guys, sleep well?" she teased good naturedly and they watched in amusement as Harry blushed a light shade of pink but Ginny just shot back unashamedly

"Yeah actually" and grinned even wider when Hermione pulled her in to a hug.

"We missed you over summer, how did getting your parents back go?"

"Really well Gin', it's good to have them home and they can't remember a thing, so you guys miserable without me?" she asked, partially deflecting the question and sitting down beside Ron, opposite the pair.

She was surprised at how easy it was to fall back in to the old routine like nothing had happened.

"Oh Hermione it was awful!" Ron replied overdramatically "All they did was sit together being all lovey-dovey"

She laughed once more and was amazed to see it wasn't forced like most of her happiness had been over the summer.

"We didn't just do that!" Harry protested loudly as Ginny rolled her eyes at her brother and her boyfriend.

"Uh huh" replied Hermione disbelievingly.

"We didn't" he protested loudly.

"Did too" Ron shot back good naturedly while Hermione elbowed him in the ribs.

"Hermione" he whined, crossing his arms and pouting like a five year old but the rest of the compartment just laughed.

"Hey Harry, have you seen my ear-ring?" asked Ginny, getting up and looking for it.

Hermione resisted to chance to glare at her, she knew exactly what Ginny was doing and she didn't appreciate it.

"Maybe you left it in the bathroom, here I'll help look" and before they knew it, they were left alone in the compartment.

She couldn't think of anything witty or sensible to say; all her thoughts sounded stupid -even to her own ears- and so silence surrounded them. They may have dated but since breaking up, there was still that uncertainty with being alone together. With Ron occasionally humming and Hermione stifling a laugh, she thought they were doing pretty well until he asked

"So how have you really been?"

_Upset. Angry. Wanting to kill you at times. Mad at myself. All of the above?_

"What do you mean?"

He sighed and left it alone, they chatted easily for a few minutes before Ron -catching her completely off guard- launched himself at her, tickling her until she struggled to breathe.

"Ron" she screeched, after waiting a minute to catch her breath.

"Yeah?" he asked casually.

"What the hell was that?"

"That, my dear, was getting pay back" he smiled cockily.

She couldn't think of a way to respond so she just laughed and they lapsed in to silence once more.

"You look good by the way, I don't think I've told you that" he smiled that smile that made her heart melt but she just sighed

"Ron…"

"What? Just stating the obvious, well then again, I think you look well in anything"

She smiled a timid, half smile "Thanks" she said quietly "You look good too"

Their 'moment' was disrupted by the loud re-entering of Harry and Ginny to the compartment.

Settling back down again "So Hermione, any news of who's Head Boy?" asked Harry curiously and eyes were now focused on her.

She sighed; she had been hoping to avoid this part. Well she could've lied but then again, honestly_ is _the best policy so…

"Um, yeah about that" she started.

"Oh, come on Mione, it can't be that bad" Ron reasoned.

"Yeah Hermione, tell us" Ginny prompted.

"Well, you see, the thing... the thing is, the thing is that it's Malfoy" she trailed off hopelessly.

"Malfoy? Draco Malfoy?" Ginny growled.

"Look Ginny, I know it's bad but.." Hermione stated.

"But what?" Ron interrupted, seething "but it's going to be okay before he's changed, right?"

"You can't honestly be okay with this Hermione?" Harry asked although it sounded more like a statement to her ears.

"He has terrorised you for six years and you're going to let him share a dorm with you?" Ron accused.

"It's not up to me Ron, you know that and I'm not saying he's changed but it's a new year, fresh start and it's not like I'm going to willingly spending a lot of time with him, plus I have you guys for me, right?"

"You're damn right!" Ginny laughed.

"He gives you any problem at all, you can tell us" Harry told her "but mostly Ginny because we're all a little bit scared of her"

Finally, she felt the tension leave the room slightly and she laughed, relieved "I'll keep that in mind, Harry."

Realizing how long she had stayed, Hermione quickly made her apologies to leave but they understood that she had to get to the Head's compartment, plus giving the prefects their duties.

They each gave her a hug, Ron's lasting a tad longer to be considered a purely friendly hug.

She really wished she could've stayed with them longer but she had responsibilities, so with a final look to her friends, who had managed to make her happier in a matter of minutes, than she had felt all summer, she left.

**…xxx…**

Her heart sank as she glanced through the window of the Head's compartment.

The first thing she noticed was the pale blonde hair, looking almost silver as the dim light of the compartment hit it. She had thought -or hoped- that she would've been first to arrive and she wouldn't have to face him yet.

She entered discreetly as possible, praying that McGonagall wouldn't take her time to see them.

"Granger" he acknowledged, not coldly but not the most welcoming statement she'd heard but then again, this was Draco Malfoy she was talking about, she wasn't even expecting an acknowledgement.

She nodded and sat opposite him "Malfoy" she responded and asked politely "Has professor McGonagall been in yet?"

"Would I still be here if she had?" he snapped.

_She thought she would be past being affected by harsh words but, regretfully she had begun to think anyone could change. Even Malfoy.  
><em>  
>"I just asked" she retorted, biting her lip subconsciously and staring out the window in a tense silence.<p>

Minutes crawled by slowly and he let out a deep sigh and she groaned internally, she hated the silence. Avoided it as much as possible, even falling asleep with earphones in her ears to prevent falling asleep in silence.

In the dark, memories pushed to the back of your mind reared their ugly head and thoughts seemed louder, demanding to be heard.

Memories that she had tried to suppress from the previous year would come crawling back, it doesn't normally affect her during the day but she didn't expect to be back here.

On this train. Travelling to the place that constantly haunts her dreams.

Some people would say she was crazy to go back, her mother for one but Hermione Granger does not give up, she needs to prove something to herself.

Nightmares are the worse, the kind that leave you walking up in cold sweat, struggling to breathe. Ones so horrific that you find yourself waking up with tear stains on your cheeks and you can't remember why.

The realisation suddenly dawns on her that with each passing minute, she's moving gradually closer to her destination, and that realisation hits her hard, harder than expected.

She feels the walls slowly creeping in on her, her vision blurs and she feels the familiar instinct to run but she pulls herself back in, tries to calm herself.

Her breathing quickened as the memories twisted around mind and her fingers curled in to fists,

"_ten_" she counted back from in her mind, trying to keep her breathing even.

_"nine"_

"_eight_"

"sev-"

She was interrupted in her inner calming exercise by a concerned "Are you okay?"

_Well it sounded concerned but clearly her mind was not in its right state._

_It wasn't concerned, right?_

_No it couldn't be concerned; I mean why would he be concerned?_

_If anything, it was concerning that he sounded concerned. Oh god, she was rambling in her own mind. This could not be good._

"Granger" he snapped.

_Oh now that sounded like the Malfoy she knew._

He moved in front of her, in a graceful, fluid movement and she shrank back, her back pressed tightly against the back of the seat.

"Are. You. Okay?" he asked again, slower.

His voice filtered through her thoughts, fighting to be heard. She just wanted the silence back. She groaned in frustration, she just wanted them to shut up.

_Damn it._

"I'm fine" she answered through gritted teeth.

"Granger, I have seen fine and trust me, you are not it" his reasoned.

She took a deep breath and could _feel_ her thoughts calming, like an ocean settling after a storm. She gave him a tight smile,

"Trust me, I'm fine" she hates feeling so irrational.

He nodded swiftly and moved slowly away, almost like he was gauging her reaction.

She took another deep breath,

_She was fine, right?_

…**xxx…**

The next few minutes passed wordlessly before a hurried looking Minerva McGonagall entered,

"Mister Malfoy, Miss Granger" she greeted.

"Hello" Hermione greeted quietly and a nod was Malfoy's only response.

As McGonagall started discussing their duties, Hermione quickly realised that everything she was saying, Hermione had already read, more than a few times, in her introduction Head Girl letter and so she ended up, unintentionally of course, zoning out.

By the time McGonagall had decided to leave, wishing them the best, Hermione had felt the buzzing energy she had felt that morning, slowly drain away.

She can feel _his _eyes on her as she avoids his, closing her eyes in relief and part amazement that he hasn't mentioned anything but she focuses on her breathing and she feels the unrelenting pull of sleep bringing her under.

…**xxx… **

She's pale, frightfully so.

He notices her steady, even breathing and realises she must have fallen asleep. He doesn't blame her, even without noticing the circles under her eyes, that show slightly through make-up of some sort, he can tell she hasn't been sleeping.

He's gotten better at reading people, he always could fairly well. He learned from an early age how to recognise the telling signs of how to press people's buttons or how to manipulate people but she seems harder to read than most people.

Or maybe he's just out of practice.

He wants to ask her about it but he can't understand why he cares.

_Maybe because she almost had a panic attack in front of him?_

He may not like her, in any way possible but that doesn't mean he's so cold as to completely disregard the fact she's clearly hurting.

A voice in the back of his mind reminds him that she may not want him to bring it up but what if it helps her?

Surely she wouldn't be so stubborn to refuse help.

The thought brings him up short, but wouldn't that be so very know-it-all Granger, thinking she can take on the world.

He shakes his head in disbelief, when did he start thinking this in-depth about anyone reasons for their actions, most importantly Granger's?

Maybe now he wants reasons.

…**xxx…**


	4. Let the Flames Begin

A Thin Line Between Love & Hate: Rewritten  
>... Silence<br>_Disclaimer: I started school just today so I didn't get in to Hogwarts. J.K Rowling would have gotten in…_

_I am now 'riding solo' without a beta so if you're interested let me know :) Also I apologise for the late update but I have the outline of the next few chapters done so expect longer and quicker updates. Which has to be a good thing, right?_

…

The sky bleeds from a pale grey to darker ebony and the temperature drops considerably in the already cool compartment.

Silence surrounds the pair, uninterrupted until a sharp whimper escapes and hangs in the air. The sleeping occupant struggles against the seat for a split second, her face twisting in to a look of anguish but no movement is made to awaken her and face soon relaxes.

He takes no notice of her, choosing to consider his overwhelming situation and letting his mind wander, wondering how on earth he's going to handle the year.

He hadn't always enjoyed silence. Although it did give him time to think, calculate and predict others actions so he was never left unguarded. Silence became a regular occurrence from his childhood and over time he came to accept it, so much that he came to relish the silence he got later in life. His eyelids flicker shut to calm his overactive memories.

He wishes he had asked more about his genes, loathing the concept of uncertainty and the unknown. He realises he didn't ask much at all, preferring to reassure his mother with the little time he had with her before the school year started and not having her scare herself with research which he could accomplish himself.

He brings himself back to the silence and finds comfort in it, mere seconds before screams suddenly and unexpectedly echo in his mind, he can't comprehend anything else while he stumbles to his feet, alert. Breathing short and fast, he pierces the barrier of silence and his eyes fall on her, confused.

She's still sleeping; mumbling in her sleep, brow furrowed and her bottom lip tugged unconsciously between her teeth but sleeping none the less. She's almost curled up on herself by this point, back pressed firmly against the seat.

He hears them again, louder as she squirms. Terrifyingly vivid screams. He keeps thinking they could be her screams but her lips haven't moved. He slowly sits back down as they quieten for a moment, thinking they'll just go away but they get louder and louder, almost deafening. He can't think and giving up, he strides and yanks open the door, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. His head falls back against the closed door, separating him from the compartment.

_What the hell just happened? _

Making his way cautiously back in to the room, he grabs his things thinking he might as well get changed while she's asleep.

He passes the compartments in confident strides, hoping to remain unnoticed but he can hear the hushed whispers coming from inside

"_Is that Malfoy? As in Draco Malfoy?" _

"_He actually came back? I thought they were just rumours that he was seen on the platform" _

"_**He**__ got the position of head boy? Is McGonagall mad?"_

He has to smirk just a little at the last voice as he himself had thought the exact same. Glancing down at the badge gleaming in his hand, he's in shock himself. When the letter arrived, inviting all students the opportunity to repeat their previous year, he wasn't even sure he was attend at all. Much less receive a Head Boy badge. Although the letter offered to let him give up the badge and return regardless, he felt shocked that the thought of giving up the badge hadn't crossed his mind beforehand.

He does still wish he never had thought of returning because hadn't considered a future that school involved and now it's all he can think about, wishes he could attend the classes and not the school itself. If you could even still call it a school, reports claimed that the rebuilding of the castle was going well but it would still be a shell of its former self. Would always have the stains of tortured memories that he had no desire whatsoever to relive but it was a show of strength, going back.

Reopening the school showed an act of strength.

…

Hermione startles awake, blinking a few time to clear her sleep fogged mind. She sits up and stretches, slowly feeling the tension start to leave her body. The rapidly decreasing daylight draws her attention to the window and with a startled gasp she realises how long she must have slept as she should be changed and gathering her things right about now.

She hurries to get changed and in her haste, she collides with the last person she wants to see. Truthfully, she had forgotten he was supposed to be sitting in their compartment and she glares as she realises he's already gotten changed; she's going to be so late to brief the latest prefects.

"Watch where you're going"

"I wouldn't have to if you had woken me up" she hisses.

"Oh sorry, did I miss the conversation where I was responsible for how long you go in to dreamland?" he sneers.

"No but it would've been decent" she almost growls, still annoyed and slightly embarrassed with herself for falling asleep in the first place. He looks taken back for a moment before but his trademark sneer slips back in to place.

He had forgotten how amusing she was when he managed to get under her skin. He moves closer and she angrily matched his step which leaves them closer that he thought.

"Don't confuse me with your little friends, if you want decency go fall asleep around them. I'm sure Weasley would be more than happy to try and wake you up"

"You're insufferable; it just would have been nice off you wake me up okay?"

"Why Granger, are we still that naïve to believe that everyone wants to help a third of the golden trio?" he mocks, staring down at her.

She scowls in frustration and touches her hair self-consciously "I'm not naïve, it's just… Oh I don't have time for this"

He feels quite pleased with himself when she storms away from him.

_Infuriating little toad! _

"Can't wait to share a dorm with that" she mutters sarcastically.

Shared dorm. She feels like screaming _why me?_ as the thought hits her. Clearly when someone thought a shared dorm would be beneficial to both heads they must not have taken the possibility that the two heads would loathe each other in to consideration, or maybe they just assumed that they could at least be civil towards one another.

Although maybe they could learn to be civil, they would be working closely and it would make everything more difficult, after all they did have a job to do and things couldn't be worse than previous years.

She can feel the eyes of curiosity on her as she passes by the returning student's compartments. She sighs in frustration; she never liked being the centre of attention, preferring to stay in the background. The only time she had really appreciated the attention was the stares she got from attending the Yule Ball, after the effort she went through.

Choosing to look at the ground than acknowledge the passengers, she quickens her steps to the bathroom to get changed.

As she slips her robes through her arms and over her head, she feels immediately better, safer and feeling like the confident Hermione Granger again. She finally feels that returning was a good idea.

Her pace to the prefect's dorm speeds up as she realises how late she seems to be. Even though the talk isn't going to take long, she'd rather have the ability to leave time at the end for questions or queries.

She's surprised to find him waiting on her outside the compartment door,

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like, Granger? Waiting on you" he states simply and she's stunned for a moment, having expected him to either started without her or shown up impossibly late.

He raises an eyebrow in curiosity "Well shall we?"

He opens the door for her.

…

Their presence isn't acknowledged at first; the house prefects' deep in conversation and he can pick up clearly on their muffled speculation '_who the heads could be'_. The Slytherin's aren't included, which he can hardly find surprising; the girl inspecting her nails and the boy next to her reading a quidditch magazine.

Draco's quite thankful not to recognise any of the prefects- all except one but from the warm smile Hermione directs at the Gryffindor students, he assumes she knows them.

He honestly can't remember seeing any of the faces and having a list of names to go with the faces doesn't help either.

_Dennis Creevey, Natalie MacDonald- Gryffindor _

_Stewart Ackerley, Orla Quirke- Ravenclaw _

_Kevin Whitby, Laura Madley- Hufflepuff _

_Astoria Greengrass, Malcolm Baddock- Slytherin _

Well Astoria is the exception, he recognises her name but he can't picture spending time with the girl in front of him, she seems to have grown up over the summer, a lot. He still manages a smirk as her eyelashes flutter flirtatiously in his direction.

Hermione states a polite cough and she has captured everyone's attention, as he moves to stand a little bit closer. Well she had everyone's attention as he seems to have acquired the attention of the female occupants in the room. At first he thinks its shock but after a moment of the blatant stares and smiles, he thinks it could be them vying for his attention, so he plasters on one of his most charming smiles as Hermione tries half-successfully to bring their attention to her.

"Now" she starts confidently "Hello, thank you for waiting, as our latest prefects in the school you will be under the direction of the older prefects whom I'm sure you all know?"

Their heads nodded in agreement and she continued "I'm sure your duties were stated in your letter but just a recap, prefects are allowed to take House points away from other students in their own house as a penalty for rule-breaking, but you're not allowed to take points from other prefects or students in other houses, although you can give detentions as a form of punishment. Your duties are to patrol the corridors of the train, which the older prefects have been doing and you will be requested to patrol the train if you return home on holidays.

You also patrol hallways to ensure that other students are not breaking curfew and there is a bathroom with a large, pool-like bath on the fifth floor that is reserved for prefects and Quidditch captains. It is located at the fifth door to the left of the statue of Boris the Bewildered and you are free to use it within curfew. One of the older prefects is normally chosen to show first years to their common room so that won't be an issue for you. There will be monthly meetings to produce patrol schedules and express any non-threatening concerns you may have, they are compulsory by the way and abuse of the power of being a prefect could result in your dismissal as a prefect, which is a huge honour"

She smiles reassuringly as the other students seem quite overwhelmed and turns to Draco to raise an eyebrow which asks _anything to add?_ She's a lot closer than he remembers her being and he can't help but notice that her eyes aren't quite brown, the brown he used to associate with her _mud-_blood status, they're actually a honey colour near the pupil with flecks of gold, they're _mesmerising._ He's drawn in, like a moth to a flame.

_Enticed _almost.

"Malfoy?"

He yanks his head back as if burned and sees something flash in her eyes he doesn't quite understand and shakes his head quickly which brings the attention back to him. Giving him a strange look, she rambles on but he's long tuned out since then. He's trying to figure everything out but things just won't add up, it's so frustrating but before he knows what so do, they're getting up to leave and she's still looking at him suspiciously as the girls go out of their way to "brush" past him- Astoria included but she's the only one expected.

The train should be arriving at Hogsmeade Station any moment so they make their way back to their Head compartment in silence.

…

With the thestral-pulled carriage bringing them ever closer, the castle towers precariously over them. It's fully restored but the cracks, only dark magic can form, stay. Hermione appreciates the fact that they can't be removed, they almost feel like battle scars, a reminder of what was gained and what was lost. Drawing closer to the building, she referred to so many times as a second home, doesn't seem to affect quite so much this time but she can still feel her stomach twist uncomfortably.

Walking in to the great hall she feels like a ghost drifting through the battle and she notices Harry hug Ginny that little but tighter. She's grateful for Ron having lifted her spirits on the train but she knows that being back here must be slowly killing him. She's glad nonetheless that he's focusing on keeping a smile on everyone's face, she admires that. Well that and the fact he's really matured, he grew up when everyone wasn't looking.

"Could I have you attention please?" a weathered but happier looking Minerva McGonagall raises from her chair as Headmistress "Before we let the feast begin, I have a few starts of term announcements. First of all, the dark forest on the edge of the grounds is, as always, out of bounds to all students. Also, Mr Filch has asked me to remind you that products from the joke shop "Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes" are strictly prohibited, along with other excluded items, a list of which you may find attached to Mr Filch's door. Finally, it is my dearest hope that you all have a safe and enjoyable year at Hogwarts. You have all been through so many troubles, and you have overcome each of them in turn.

You have suffered the opening of the Chamber of Secrets, the sometimes questionable reign of the ministry and teachers who may not have had your best interests at heart, the death of Professor Dumbledore, and the horrors of the Carrows, but here now after the storm is where our future can finally start, the war has ended, Voldemort is dead, and there is peace once more. I could not be more proud of any of you. Yes, you have suffered heavy losses, but you have risen from them and now it's time to put the past behind us and look to the future. It's up to you to build a future for yourselves and for your children to come. You have seen the mistakes others have made, and you have learned from them. Bare this in mind while you study with us this year; you all have the power to shape the future and raise the wizarding world from its own ashes but for now I suggest you enjoy" and with a flourish, each table in turn was laden with food

She feast is just how she remembers it and she remembers to clap when appropriate, even to nod along to something she isn't quite sure she's being asked, although she thinks it could be _are you okay? _ And she is okay, really. She just feels a little dazed, like she's in a dream and she isn't sure if she wants to wake up or not.

She feels emotionally exhausted and despite her earlier nap on the train, really just want so crawl in to bed so she's grateful when the last of the desserts have vanished and McGonagall rises once more

"Now, your beds await you, good night to you all and good luck with you studies this year"

Everyone leaves the hall, shambled together. As they reach the entrance, Ron pulls her in to a hug before they go their separate ways and she waits for a few moments on the outskirts to make sure the first years are being guided to their rightful common rooms and to watch her friends return together before she trails her way through the maze of staircases feeling slightly alone … "_meus semper" _she whispers to a curiously blank painting with a silver star etched in to the corner and it opens, leading her in to a spacious living room and kitchen area, neutrally coloured.

She notices a Gryffindor symbol emblazed on the door closest to the kitchen, which she rightly assumes to be her room. Her eyes flicker to the matching door opposite her own, _right next door to the bathroom_ she notes in irritation as she was really hoping to have the least amount of contact possible or as little as sharing a dorm would allow.

Knowing she'll need to be perfectly rested for what awaits her in the morning, she climbs in to her bed, the sheets welcoming her back like an old friend and at last she feels at home.

…

The feast is a blur of colour and strange looks being cast his way, blocking them out and focusing on McGonagall seems like that best plan. He can't remember the speech ending or how he found his way to be standing in front of the long blank painting but he remembers the feast and the reassuring babble of conversation going on around him, he feels safe. Something he hasn't felt in a while.

Entering _their _common room, he feels relieved that she's already asleep. Hearing the faint sounds of blankets tossing and turning, he realises she must move around a lot in her sleep.

Changing in to a pair of pyjama bottoms, he moves to the small kitchen area to find the overhead cupboards stocked with a range of beverages and recognises a muggle appliance he remembers using to make tea while when in hiding, a kettle he remembers it being called and so manages to make a cup of _earl grey_, too exhausted to preform even a simple heating spell.

He settles on to the sofa, the rustling of pages and the even breathing coming from the opposite room entwine well in to the little hours of the morning, the pale flicker of the shrinking candle providing little light but he can't bring himself to move and change it. He's been like this for hours, scanning the pages of the few books he managed to borrow from his library before he left.

He growls in frustration as another book adds to the ever-growing pile of being infuriatingly useless. Clearly from the information in the books, their writers haven't been near a veela before in their entire lives or are just utterly stupid. Most of the 'so-called information' is just ridiculous

'_They sometimes appear as swans, snakes, horses, falcons, or wolves that they can shape-shift into?' _

'…_are believed to be female fairy-like spirits or nymphs who live in the wilderness and sometimes in the clouds?'_

'_**Muggle Mythology**_' he sneers, not even sure why he bothered to even flick through it. He knew it would be absolute rubbish. What on earth could muggles know about veelas and why would a wizard bother to research what muggles thought constituted as myths?

He sighs even with the limited lines in each book he manages to slowly gather the basics,

_Veela come of age between the ages of sixteen and eighteen. –They are very beautiful and enchant the opposite sex. –They have very sensitive senses. –Veela have to find a mate and will stop at nothing to have them, they are also very possessive. –When angry, scared, threatened or their mate is in danger, full-blooded veela transform to great half-bird creatures and will kill to protect themselves or their mate. –Their previous personality is heightened or in some cases, changes dramatically. _

'_Veela are a race of semi-human, semi-magical hominids reminiscent of the Sirens of Greek mythology' _he reads before the paragraph ends and the book moves on to several detailed chapters on werewolves.

The last book in the pile is a battered and well-worn copy of _The Travel Trilogy- _Gilderoy Lockhart. He isn't really sure what he expected when he opened up the chapter, it starts a long winded tale of how he met a veela along a dark forest at twilight, enchanting him and then fleeing with his soul which he had to battle with a water nymph to get back. He snorts derisively of the ridiculous speech, which quickly turns in to a scowl upon reading the next paragraph which expressed with people's opinion on veela.

He realised early on in his research that veela aren't well liked and most cases aren't trusted but he hadn't realised wizards still thought they deserved to be placed in captivity with the rest of their kind, the extremes of some people's prejudice stated 'Veela_ are often underestimated for being the dark creatures that they rightfully are. Although having the title of dark creature unjustifiably removed they are still armed with manipulation abilities far greater than those of the imperious curse and their unstable fiery emotions leading to dangerous situations and..' _

He threw down the book in disgust, refusing to let his mind to spend another second on that drivel. Fuming, he gives up on his research for the night. It's just so overwhelming; he just wanted a quiet year. Just one year and he could've started life the way he wanted to from first year, the plan that become horribly misguided over the years. The years of deceit, revenge and lies which he became so entangled in. He had his life planned, the way he wanted to grow up, what kind of person he wanted to be and not his fathers. He wanted his life back and Hogwarts, he decided was going to be the start.

He could do this; he wouldn't die without _her_, whoever _she _was.

…


End file.
